Prayer vigil held for victims of double homicide on Huey and Frederickson

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A prayer vigil was held on Thursday night to pay tribute to the two homicide victims killed earlier this month.

Anton James, Jr., 25, and 29-year-old Da’Mon Bethel were fatally shot on August 2nd in what investigators called a drug deal gone wrong.

Two other victims, 24-year-old Alyssa Sanchez and 34-year-old Joshua Sage were shot and injured.

Ronald Snyder and Robert Brady Jr. have been charged in their murders and on methamphetamine related offenses.

At Thursday’s vigil, the focus was on the loss of the two young lives. While the families of Bethel and James didn’t come, several neighbors joined in when they saw the gathering of around a dozen pictures.

Beverly Lindsey has lived on Huey Street for over thirty years. She said her nosey-ness brought her outside to check things out, but the prayers encouraged her stay.

“Violence has to stop. It doesn’t only hurt the person it happened to it hurts many families and I thank god the prayer team came to prayer for us,” says Lindsey

The group hosting the vigil, On-Site Ministry, hopes that by reclaiming violent spaces through prayer and love—neighborhoods and families can heal.

“This circumstance could have been prevented. There are people that are concerned about this kind of violence and we hope that we can see less of it,” says Michael Elliott, coordinator for On Site Prayer Ministry.

On-Site Ministry holds prayer vigils for homicide victims in St. Joseph County each Thursday. On Thursday, September 1st for the death of Roy Martinez. Martinez died from blood loss when a caretaker allegedly failed to render first aid. Martinez was a disabled man who was being taken care of at a group home. The vigil will be in the 800 block of Riverside Court in South Bend at 5:30 p.m.